1993 Domaine De Courcel Pommard Les Rugiens

Domaine de Courcel is in Pommard. Founded more than 400 years ago, the 23-acre estate is still owned by the de Courcel family. The winemaker is Yves Confuron, who comes from a respected wine producing family in Vosne-Romanee. It has Premier Cru parcels in Les Croix Noires, Les Fremiers, Les Rugiens and it has a monopole in Le Grand Clos des Epenots. There are also red and white village wines.

Les Rugiens is really two vineyards. Les Rugiens-Hauts, or “upper,” is a 16-acre Premier Cru vineyard and Les Rugiens-Bas, or “lower,” is a 14.5-acre Premier Cur vineyard just below it. Both are in the Pommard appellation in Burgundy’s Cote de Beaune, just south of the village. Since there are no Grand Crus in Pommard, the Premier Crus have special importance. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that “Pommard at its best is the fullest wine made in the Cote de Beaune.”

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.